So, here are some updates from the past few weeks:
I organized a fireside for our church ward, which took place on Sunday the 20th and was pretty successful. There was a wide variety of talent (styles, instruments, levels), but each number was tender and spiritual. I sang with the choir, which opened and closed the fireside. Overall, it was a relief to have it done, and it was touching to hear the positive response from attendees.
I must mention that one of the songs was "Impossible Dream" from The Man of La Mancha. (I looked for a photo to include, but all I found from the film had Sophia Loren front and center and looking quite cleavy, and I just didn't think it would fit in with my description of the fireside...) Unorthodox? Yes! It was performed by a family band with full strings, some small clicking percussion instrument that sounded like the clomping of a horse, and (gulp) a cymbal. I avoided looking at the Bishop, who was in attendance, and reassured myself that this was a fireside and, if people can speak-sing and belt Mormon pop and call it spiritual, the Jensens can give their inspirational rendition of a show tune. In truth, it was great, and I just basked in everyone's contribution.
Ah, I see my Palm has finished syncing up. Oh well, I'll share a some more...
Aidan got an ear infection this last weekend. It was so sad! Our little buggy came down with a bad cold (and a BAD cough), and a fever kept recurring over a few days. It still took us a little by surprise when he was in and out of bed for over half the night from Saturday to Sunday and was completely inconsolable. After our various attempts to comfort him and get him some rest, he asserted, "I want to go to the doctor!" It was heart wrenching! David took him to the emergency room, and the doctors confirmed that one ear was pretty red and the other was rather pink. Medicine brought healing and relief, though, and he's doing great now.
We purchased an absolutely lovely vehicle: a 2008 Toyota Sienna. We bought new. I know, I know! I have issues with buying new and watching a vehicle's value depreciate before your very eyes as you drive it off the lot, but it was a great option for us. (You don't need to know financial details). Suffice it to say, after the smells of various chemicals wore off (the stuff on the engine and the "Autoshield" chemicals), David yielded custody of the vehicle to me and the kids, and it's delightful to drive. It's quite, comfy, and we haven't had to fill up a gas tank or pay a new insurance payment yet, so the shock of financial changes hasn't hit us quite yet. (Though, that $15,000 down payment felt pretty surreal). Here's a picture of our beaut!
Another update: An old friend from summer stock and BYU classes, Michelle Gardner (formally Marquis), called a few weeks ago and asked if I'd join her in a performance on the 23rd of this month. We sang a few standards for the Springville Chamber of Commerce at the Springville Art Museum in this great room upstairs that is fabulously live, but not echoey. Michelle's expecting her 4th child next month, and I'm showing quite a bit by now, so audience members enjoyed the convexness of our bodies. One man tenderly approached us and said, "It's so cute how you are both in the family way!" I wanted to hug him for using the phrase "in the family way." What a dear!
Anyway, the performance went well (Michelle sounded fantastic, especially at 8 months pregnant!), and it was a relief after the weekend when my head/chest cold peaked and threatened to make things very difficult. (It was exactly the kind of illness which has rendered me speechless in the past). Each day leading up to the performance, I was constantly trying not to stress about my voice. Here's a snippet from my inner monologue: "Have I sung enough today to keep the voice up, but not too much? I don't know. It's sounding pretty husky there. How on earth am I going to sing these songs?" You see, I didn't choose the songs wisely. They were not the kind of songs that a stay-at-home mom who rarely warms up or sings full out would choose. They were the kind of song that an active professional would select. So, what was I thinking when I picked "Blow Gabriel Blow" from Anything Goes and "The Man That Got Away" from A Star is Born? I guess I was thinking I was hot stuff or something. :) Very silly. Happily, once I started working the songs some weeks ago, I decided it was a great challenge and worth the effort to get my voice reprimed.
As an aside, I must say that I rejected the Audra MacDonald version of "Man That Got Away" and chose to sing it straight Judy (even though I'm no Judy). If you're interested in comparing, here they are:
With the help of a thermos full of hot water mixed with grade-B maple syrup, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper, I made my contribution to the night successfully. So, I can now say I've sung an Ethel and a Judy on the same night in a fabulous room with great acoustics and was paid for it. It doesn't get much better than that! It may not be that exciting for others, but it was thrilling for me (and terrifying, I must say. "The Man That Got Away" at our chosen meter of 81 makes the long notes...well, long). And best of all, it's done!
So, this next week brings the excitement of preparing for Sophie's birthday on the 30th and getting ready to leave for Aruba on the 31st. The birthday for Sophie should hopefully be easy. We'll be picking up a few of Sophie's friends on Wednesday evening and heading off to Chuck E' Cheeses for pizza, cake, and games. Let's just hope that we don't have a repeat of Aidan's birthday experience at Chuck E Cheeses where his stomach flu decided to make itself known while we were there. It was sad. So, fingers crossed for no vomiting attacks from any of the short people (especially in the van. Boy, does a $25,000 vehicle bring out the obsessive compulsive in you)! (It also makes you a little heartless, but look at it! Would you not become heartless?)
So, the hard part of the next 5 or 6 days will be preparing for Aruba. We've never traveled so far with the kids, and we'll be stay in a foreign country, so David and I feel daunted. The good news is most things are sold in dollars, English is spoken by everyone in the area, and, according to my Dad, we can drink the water. David and I are sure that, while it may be peanuts compared to the cost of visiting Europe, the natives are making major bucks overcharging foreigners with their "dollars." (We've decided NOT to find out how much the cost of living actually is for natives. It would just ruin the trip for us.)As I sign off now, I must acknowledge that in the time I've taken to write this epistle I could've hot-synced my Palm 15 times, checked our bank balances, paid a month's worth of bills, and taken the time most people take to update their blogs. Perhaps I should try the method utilized by my witty friends who tell one or two stories maximum with a lot of flare and throw in some great visual aids.
Speaking of, here's one more peak at my favorite visual aid for today...
Gee, that's pretty!
